Couple Pleads Not Guilty to Killing Girl Found in Bag at Border

Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, and Mercy Becerra, 43, were arrested Aug. 9 at the San Ysidro port of entry after Mexican authorities allegedly found the body of a toddler in their bag as they tried to enter Tijuana

Each defendant faces one count of first-degree murder in the death of a little girl, found dead in their bag at the US-Mexico border. NBC 7’s Rory Devine reports. (Published Friday, Aug. 12, 2016)

A toddler found dead inside a duffel bag carried by a Southern California couple trying to cross the U.S.-Mexico border into Tijuana was drowned, a San Diego Deputy District Attorney said Friday.

Deputy DA Kurt Mechals said the girl, who was approximately two years old, died from a "residential-type drowning." An autopsy determined the tot also showed signs of malnutrition, dehydration and trauma, Mechals said.

The prosecutor said the investigation is ongoing and he could not release any further details on the toddler's death. He said investigators have theories on the motive but that information is not being released at this time.

On Friday, the couple accused in this case — Johnny Lewis Hartley, 39, and Mercy Maria Becerra, 43, both of Whittier, California — were arraigned side-by-side in a downtown San Diego courtroom.

Standing next to one another with their heads hung low, both Hartley and Becerra pleaded not guilty. A public defender was appointed for both suspects. A judge set bail at $2 million for each of the suspects.

Investigators are still trying to determine the relationship of the suspects to the victim, Mechals said. Hartley and Becerra are not the child's parents, but the parents also live in Whittier and know the suspects.

The San Diego Police Department said Hartley and Becerra were arrested at the pedestrian border crossing at the San Ysidro port of entry Tuesday around 12 p.m. after they attempted to cross into Mexico.

At that point, Valentin said Becerra tried to run away from authorities, but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody. Hartley was also arrested. They were deported back to the U.S. side of the border and turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The SDPD’s Homicide Unit arrived at the port of entry and took custody of Hartley and Becerra, booking them into jail in San Diego on suspicion of child cruelty and first-degree murder.

Mechals said there is still much work to be done. At the suspects' arraignment on Friday, the prosecutor said details were still being developed, including whether the toddler's death was premeditated.